Policy guidelines & practices

The documents below highlight important policy areas and provide tips to help you create policy-compliant apps. You'll also find examples and guidance on common policy questions that can help your app stay clear of practices that can result in low ratings or even suspensions from the store. By publishing to the Google Play store, you agree to adhere to the Google Play Program Policies and Developer Distribution Agreement. Google is not required to send you a warning prior to suspension or termination.

Spam and Placement in the Store

Make sure that your app does not present content that is unwanted, deceptive, repetitive, or unrelated to the core function of the app.

Intellectual Property

Don't infringe on the intellectual property rights of others, or encourage or induce infringement of intellectual property rights. Don't pretend to be someone else, and don't represent that your content is authorized or produced by another company or organization if that is not the case. Developers should not divert users or provide links to any other site that mimics Google Play or passes itself off as another application or service.

Ads and System Interference

Make sure that the ads displayed in your app follow the Google Play Content Policy and meet the maturity rating that you have selected for your app. An app downloaded from Google Play (or its components and derivative elements) must not make changes to the user’s device outside of the app without the user’s knowledge and consent.

Sex and Nudity

Personal and Confidential Information

We don't allow unauthorized publishing or disclosure of people's private and confidential information, such as credit card numbers, government identification numbers, driver's and other license numbers, non-public contacts, or any other information that is not publicly accessible.

Spyware and Phishing

Apps that collect information (such as the user's location or behavior) without the user's knowledge (spyware) are prohibited. Malicious scripts and password phishing scams are also prohibited on Google Play.